Boggarts and Invisibility Cloaks
by A Silver Secret
Summary: Ginny borrows Harry's invisibility cloak to retrieve a book she left in class, and sees Draco battling a boggart. DracoGinny. Complete.
1. Default Chapter

Author: Crystal Nichole, otherwise known as ASilverSecret or RuindDrama Rating: G

Disclaimer: I disclaim.

Summary: Ginny borrows Harry's invisibility cloak to retrieve a book and sees Draco fight a boggart.

Author Notes: Written in haste. Beta'd by my wonderful and intelligent friend Lena. Please R&R!

On to the story!

"Harry?" Ginny ambled up to the dark-haired boy she'd known since she was ten. He continued to focus on the chess pieces in front of him. "Harry, I really need a favor."

"Ginny, I haven't got time. Ron's almost beat me," he replied, touching a pawn, then shaking his head.

"But, Harry, I've left my Potions book in Snape's classroom. I have a big essay due tomorrow, and if I don't get it done, I'll be in detention for the next few Quidditch practices! I really need to go down and get it, but it's after curfew!" Ginny pouted a bit, playing up her spot as the baby of the group.

"Let me guess. You want to use my invisibility cloak?" Harry asked, sighing a little after he moved his pawn.

"Yes! Thank you, Harry!" She started to run up to his room to get it.

"Ginny! I didn't say you could!" He turned to the stairs where she now stood.

"But you will. And why should we argue about it, when you know you will? You should just give in now."

"Ginny . . . " Harry started. She knew he was going to start in about the responsibilities that came with the cloak and how important it was to him. She'd gotten this lecture about four times a week. He always gave in, though, after an hour or two of begging.

"I'll have it back within the hour, Harry," she promised, raising her wand. "Accio Invisibility Cloak!" It flew to her, as Harry sat astonished at the chess table.

"Hey, Harry. Checkmate," Ron took that moment to say.

"What?! That's impossible! Rematch!" The pawns instantaneously reset themselves as Harry forgot all about the little redhead taking off with his cloak.

Meanwhile, down in the dungeons, Draco was stirring his cauldron. He had been working in the Potions classroom for nigh on two hours at that point, and was starting to get very tired. He was very grateful to Professor Snape, though, for allowing him to use his classroom this late into the night for this specific potion. Not only would it count as extra credit, but Draco would be allowed to use the "Draught of Peace" for as long as it was good.

With exams less than a month away, Draco was feeling a little stressed, one could say. He was putting everyone and their mother in detention, and had even taken almost a hundred points off of Slytherin, his own house! Of course, he had taken much more off of the other houses. Also, his Quidditch skills had been suffering from the evident anxiety. Professor Snape had been the one to suggest the potion, but Draco had insisted on making it himself, to ensure the highest grade in the class.

He was working without a break, as late as it took to get this portion of the potion done. He was secretly thanking Merlin that he was allowed to work at night, instead of the day when he would be annoyed by the half-wits he was forced to deal with.

"Ah. The Draught of Peace will not be complete without a touch of leech juice," Draco read from the library book Professor Snape had allowed him to get from the Restricted Section of the library. He placed his book upon a sixth year Potions book someone had left behind and stood to maneuver his way to the ingredient closet.

Ginny stopped near the classroom door. She had heard someone in there. Snape always left Hogwarts' grounds for Hogsmeade as soon as classes were over and didn't return for hours at a time. It was incredibly early for him to be back, and incredibly late for him to have not left yet. She opened the door just enough to slip inside. Turning, she saw Draco Malfoy walking toward the ingredient closet.

She slightly gasped, not loud enough to be obvious, but loud enough for him to hear.

He looked around, not seeing anything out of the ordinary. "Oi, is anybody there?" he cried out. Ginny tensed up, refusing to even breath. When there was no answer, he shrugged, stating nonchalantly, "Stupid Peeves."

Ginny frantically looked around the room for her book, knowing she couldn't leave without it. She spotted it beside the bubbling cauldron and took the quietest steps she could to get to it.

"Bloody hell!" Draco yelled from the closet.

"Oh, Merlin! I'm caught!" Ginny thought to herself as she jumped. Fortunately, Draco was not watching, or listening, to anything else in the room.

Ginny looked over to where he stood, and saw what he was yelling over. A boggart was spinning in front of him. Her breathing slowed as she calmed. She started to continue to her book, but found herself overwhelmed with curiosity over what the Slytherin Prince himself was scared of. She turned back to him as he raised his wand and the boggart stopped spinning.

It was his father, arm exposed with the Dark Mark burned red in it.

"Riddikulus!" Draco's voice wavered and it began to spin again.

It was a large, pink ferret.

"R-Riddikulus!" he cried again, stammering this time.

It spun again, this time turning into two unrecognizable figures, kissing in the moonlight. Ginny tried to focus better on the figures, until she realized that the smaller of the two had blazing red hair, and the larger had a scar on his forehead. She gasped again.

"RIDDIKULUS!" Draco yelled, strong and loud. The figures disappeared into a puff of smoke, and he let out the breath he'd been holding. "Bloody Potter. Why do the heroes always get the girl us normal blokes want?"

Ginny was standing directly in front of his cauldron, mouth gaped open when she realized he was headed back up to his work station. She knew that he'd notice at this point if the book started moving without reason, so she waited until he had sat back down and picked his own book back up. She grabbed it, stuffing it under Harry's cloak, and stood still for a moment to see if he noticed.

"The leech juice will be ineffective if too much is added, and cause the potion to force the user to go at three times their own speed. Two drops should do," he read from the book.

She slowly started back to the door, thanking any and every entity she could that he hadn't yet found her out. She just wanted to get out of that room and try to understand what she'd just seen. As she moved away, she broke into a run.

Draco looked up when the door opened and closed. He looked at the desk and saw that the Potions book was now gone. He gasped, knowing the name inside the book was Ginny Weasley, the figure in his last fear, and that the only person in the school with an invisibility cloak was Potter. Whoever had gotten that book now knew about his thoughts of Ginny, and he happened to know that she 'borrowed' Potter's cloak quite often.

Ginny stood with her back against the door, breathing hard, and trying to force the situation to clear itself to her.

Draco's worst fear was her and Harry together? How could that be? Draco had never shown any interest in her before.

Her head was starting to hurt, and this new information changed so much. All she could do now was to get back to her dorm and finish her stupid Potions homework that got her into this whole mess, although what she really wanted was to take a nice hot bath and try to forget all about this.

Ginny made it back up to the common room, throwing Harry his cloak.

"Thanks, Harry. I don't think I'll be using your cloak anymore, though!" Ginny's face still showed quite a bit of shock.

"Why, Ginny? What happened?" Harry asked, looking up from the new game of chess.

"Let's just say you'll find out a lot when no one knows you're there." Ginny ran up the stairs to her own dorm.

"Wonder what she found out," Harry said.

"Oh, probably just saw Snape and Pince going at it in Snape's office," Hermione said, looking up from her book. "It's common knowledge among the prefects not to go in Snape's class after six."

All Done! Please tell me what you thought! I'll love you forever and a day!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: I really didn't expect so many reviews for this story! Originally, it was only a one-shot, but now that I read over it, I realize I can't leave it off there. And it was so well recieved that I just had to get out another chapter. Thank you to everyone who reviewed, and I hope you like this chapter! Oh, and my birthday is this coming Saturday! Just thought I'd add that, because it makes me happy.

Beta'd by Lena and Jessica.

Disclaimer: I disclaim

Chapter Two:

Kathryn, one of Ginny's dorm mates, woke up the next morning to see Ginny face down on her desk. She got up as close as she thought safe, and yelled, "Ginny!"

"Wha...?" Ginny said as she bolted up from the desk. Kathryn started laughing uncontrollably. "Would you stop laughing?" Ginny asked as she began to really wake up.

"Gin, honey, go look in the mirror. It's spectacularly hilarious." Kathryn grabbed her shower bag and left the room, still laughing.

"What the bloody hell is that bint talking about?" Ginny asked herself as she raised from her chair. Looking in the mirror, she gasped. Apparently, she had fallen asleep on top of her essay, and the ink had stained her left cheek. "Bloody hell!" Ginny grabbed her own shower bag and continued to the bathroom, furious at falling asleep at her desk. Her back hurt, she hadn't gotten a proper nights' sleep, and now her face was acting as parchment.

She sighed as the water started coursing down her bare back. Finally, she was feeling a little clearer and could process thoughts.

Unfortunately, that wasn't such a good thing, she realized as the memories of the night before came rushing back to her.

Potions book, invisibility cloak, Draco Malfoy, boggart, her and Harry. . .

Her headache came rushing back times three.

She finished her shower quickly and fixed the facial issue without much problem. She dressed quickly and made her way down to breakfast. She would never figure out what to do about this without the assistance of her best friend: Colin Creevey.

Rushing into the Great Hall, she saw him. "Colin, I need to talk to you now. Immediately, at this very moment, emergency!" she squealed as she sat down next to him.

"What is it, Gin? What's so urgent?" Colin asked, stuffing a biscuit in his mouth.

"Let me add privately to my earlier statements," Ginny replied, eyes narrowing as she stole a piece of bacon from his plate.

"Why privately?" he asked as he watched Ginny nibble his bacon.

"For the simple reason that no one needs to know any of this, and I'm not supposed to know any of this, and you need to tell me what I should do with this information." Ginny stood abruptly, grabbing Colin's hand and dragging him out of his seat. "Library, now," she stated sternly.

Colin followed the blazing redhead.

They had a seat near the back of the library, very near the Restricted Section. Ginny looked around suspiciously before she started hitting her head on the table.

"Gin! Stop that!" Her eyes narrowed and lips pursed once again as she momentarily looked up at Colin. "You'll put red marks on your forehead."

"Colin, I saw something last night. Something you won't believe unless you had seen it yourself. Now, I didn't get a picture or anything, so you're just going to have to take my word for it. I don't know what to do with the knowledge of what I saw. Now, please, promise me you will believe whatever I have to say," Ginny told him in a hushed, but urgent, voice.

"Gin, I've always believed you whenever you've told me something. What could be more unbelievable than my stuffed hippo coming to life every night to eat my pictures?" Colin laughed.

"Trust me, you'll not believe me. Just say you promise?" Ginny's face was grave, with no sign of humor.

"I promise, I guess. Could you just tell me what it is already?" Colin was very confused, not to mention curious at what could possibly be so serious.

"Last night, I forgot my Potions book in Snape's classroom. You know, we have that big essay due today?" Colin nodded. "Well, I went back to get it, with the assistance of an invisibility cloak."

"Ginny! Did you steal Harry's cloak again?" Colin accused.

"No!" she cried, then looked sheepish. "I did ask this time. Didn't want him to freak out when it came up missing again. He still said no, but he knew who had it this time." Ginny smiled. "But, that's not what I wanted to tell you. Anyway, I got to the classroom, and Draco Malfoy was in there. I spotted my book beside the potion he was making, but I saw a boggart in the back of the classroom. He had to fight it and all, but it spun into two figures! Me and Harry! I about choked when these figure started kissing! Could you imagine? Me and Harry! Yuck!" Ginny grimaced as if she was actually in pain at the mere thought of her and Harry kissing.

"Ginny, what's the point?" Colin wanted her back on task.

"Oh, well, Colin, don't you see? Draco's biggest fear is me and Harry together! And after the boggart disappeared, he returned to his seat saying something about Bloody Potter getting the girls the normal guys want. I don't know why he would say something like that." She stopped talking and looked at Colin. "What do you think, Colin? Why in the world would Malfoy say something like that?"

He started laughing.

"Colin! This is serious!" Ginny cried out, crossing her arms and glaring at him.

"Draco," laugh, "Malfoy," laugh, "is," laugh, laugh, "in love," laugh laugh laugh, "with a Weasley!" He continued to laugh.

"Well, I can see you're going to be of no help whatsoever!" Ginny said, standing beside him in a fury. "I'm going to class. Join me when you've calmed yourself." She huffed past the table and disappeared in the stacks.

As Colin did finally calm down, said ferret walked out of the Restricted Section. Colin took notice at this and shut up completely.

"Heard it all, Creevey. Don't bother to cover it up," Draco sneered at the Gryffindor and walked to the other side of the table.

"I..I...I..." Colin stammered. Draco slammed his hands down on the table.

"Don't explain, don't give sad, badly composed excuses. Just make sure she doesn't inform the whole bloody school!" Draco yelled, still sneering at Colin. Madam Pince gave a stern look from her desk. "Old bag," Draco muttered, lowering his voice quite a few notches. "Thinks just because her and Snape have been going at it for the past month that she's all mighty. Delusional, and bloody disgusting, also." Draco shook his head, before turning back to glare at Colin. "Anyway, back to the matter at hand. Creevey, it's now your responsibility to make sure she keeps her mouth shut. If you happen to fail," Draco smirked at this thought, "just know that the consequences will not be to your liking." He raised one eyebrow to question the boy. "Got it, Mudblood?"

"Is it true?" Colin asked, a little dumbfounded.

"Is what true? That the consequences won't be good? Of course." Draco curled his nose up and narrowed his eyes at Colin.

"Malfoy, you know that's not what I mean," Colin said in a quiet voice. Although Draco hadn't physically attacked anyone for quite a while, he was still very intimidating for the Gryffindor.

"The boggart story she told?" Draco asked. "It is not your business what happened in the Potions room last night, Creevey. I knew she was there, though, but not until after she left. I mean, her Potions book, with her name on it, was there one second, and gone right after the incident. She's a sneaky one, as well as brave. Must have a bit of Slytherin in her." Draco smirked at where the little redhead had left, as if he could still see her retreating form.

"That didn't answer my question," Colin stated, trying to imitate the Slytherin's sneer, and pretending he didn't see the leering lust multiplying in the evil ferret's eyes.

Draco laughed at the attempt. "Too bad, Creevey. Just keep her quiet for right now. We'll work details like that out at a later date," Draco said, then blew past, out the door, robes billowing in a picture-perfect exit.

Don't forget to review!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N Woot! You all rock for all these reviews! I am so not worthy! This is beta'd by Lena, again, and it's a little bit short, but I'll write a longer one next time. I love you all!

Disclaimer: I disclaim.

R&R!

Chapter 3:

Draco left the library after the talk with the Creevey boy, only to realize he forgot to get the book that Professor Snape had asked him to bring back. He really did hate being Snape's gofer, but his father had always told him that the best way to get to the top was to respect those above you and do exactly what they said. Although his father had disappeared at the end of Draco's fifth year, Draco did not hate him. He was never beaten or scolded as a child, just taught the way pureblood wizards were supposed to be taught. 

And, though Lucius was very harsh on the boy, he was proud of the young man he had grown into. Draco, in turn, did everything he could to please his father, as long as he didn't mention becoming a liege for the Dark Lord. Draco didn't see eye to eye with Lucius on that matter, and Lucius accepted that, as long as Draco didn't team up with Potter and his gang of do-gooders to take the Death Eaters down. Lucius had lived this life, and he wanted something less constricting and dangerous for Draco. Lucius could never be sure when he'd actually return to the manner or be around for birthdays and holidays. He hated leaving Narcissa and Draco alone for the holidays.

Draco turned back to the library, thinking fondly of the younger years when Lucius would be around all the time. He hated that old monster, Voldemort, for taking his father away from his mother and himself. 

Draco found the book, and began his trek to the Snape's classroom. As he entered, Snape looked up. "Draco, who else was in here last night?"

"No one that I know of, Professor," Draco said, placing the book on Snape's desk.

"There was a sixth year Potion's book here yesterday before I left. It happens to be gone now. Do you know anything about that?"

"No, sir. No clue at all," Draco lied. "I've got Quidditch practice in fifteen minutes, Professor. May I go, now?"

"Yes, of course. Are you coming back tonight to oversee the detentions?" Snape asked as he moved toward the ingredients closet.

"Of course, Professor. Who will be serving my every whim tonight?" Draco asked, with a roll of his eyes.

"Just one student. Ginevra Weasley," Professor Snape called from inside the closet. Draco's eyes widened somewhat as he heard this, then his face went stone again before the professor could see. "She somehow managed to get her book out of my classroom in time to finish her essay last night. She won't admit it, but she either snuck out after curfew, got someone else to sneak out after curfew, or copied it. Whichever way, she broke the rules, and she'll be here tonight." 

"Fine, after practice, then, Professor," Draco said nonchalantly as he headed out of the room.

Professor Snape walked out of the potion's closet, eyebrow raised. Of course, Draco had been trained to not show his feelings, and was quite good at it, but one who was also trained in the same such way could always tell when the other was frantic. 

Of course, Professor Snape didn't know of the young boy's small infatuation with the Weasley girl, but he could guess that there was something about her that caused the ounce of excitement in his voice.

Draco walked slowly enough to his practice–he could afford to be late, he was the captain. As he walked onto the field, he saw the team laying around on the edge.

"What do you prats think you're doing?!" he cried, storming up to them. "We have a match in two weeks, you should all at least be flying by now! Get up off your arses and on your brooms!"

The team scrambled up and jumped on their brooms. Blaise, though, walked up to pat his friends on the back. "You're overseeing Snape's detentions tonight, am I right?" he asked.

"What of it?" Draco asked, staring at the sky where his teammates were now warming up.

"Little Weasel is in detention tonight, am I right?" Blaise smirked.

Draco whipped his wand out. "Blaise, if you don't get up there flying right this second, I'll hex your arse into next millenium. Get it?"

Blaise threw his hands up and backed away. "I guess I found the reason for you to be such a domineering jerkoff. Don't mind me, then, Draco, old boy. Your little obsession with the redhead is none of my business. Guess I'll just go practice now." Draco glared at the taunting boy.

"I. Am. Not. Obsessed. With. Her." Blaise, mounting his broom, saw a storm brewing in Draco's eyes, but didn't back down from his taunting expression. "I'm just very frustrated that this team will lose to Gryffindor again and none of you give a damn about it! Now, get to practicing!"

"Whatever you say, mate. Wish you'd just shag her and get it over with, though. It would make Quidditch practice a million times less frantic," Blaise said as flew off with a Quaffle.

"Bloody arse. The git thinks I'm obsessed with a bloody Weasley. Obsessed! Why would anyone ever think I was obsessed with a Weasley!" Draco asked himself. "So, maybe I do have a little infatuation. But I'm not obsessed. My dad was obsessed with Lord Voldemort. He joined a cult to worship him. I'm not joining a cult to worship her. Why does the git think I'm obsessed with her?!" Draco mounted his broom, hoping that a little late afternoon flying would cause him to forget all about his dilemma he had gotten himself into. 

High above him, Blaise and Theodore watched Draco talking to himself. "Bloody mental, that one is," Theodore stated.

"It's the Weasel's fault," Blaise replied.

"The Weasel? You mean Potter's best friend?"

"No, the younger one. The female one," Blaise corrected him.

"Ah, Ginny. She's a spitfire, all right. So, he fancies her?"

"Not just fancies. He cries her name in the middle of the night. I don't think he knows it, though." Blaise paused, watching Draco fling his hands about as he mounted his broom. "His face colors whenever he sees her. He ends up angry after he sees her with Potter. We're being put through hell right now because he's spending three hours overseeing a detention tonight–with just her."

"He's obsessed," Theodore commented.

"I believe so," Blaise replied. "And he doesn't even know it."

"Like I said. Bloody mental." The two flew off to look as if they were actually practicing.

Two hours later, the group of Quidditch players ambled back up to their dorms. "Have fun tonight, Draco. Don't do anything crazy," Theodore called. Draco glared at Blaise, taking special care not to look like he really cared. Blaise laughed.

Intimidating Gryffindors was always so much easier, Draco decided as he grabbed his own potion-related books out of his bookshelf. He started the trek to the Potions classroom with a sour look on his face. He had the feeling that this night was going to be very difficult. 


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thanks again to all who reviewed! I love you all!

Beta'd by Lena and Jess.

Disclaimer: I disclaim.

Chapter Four:

Ginny trudged to the Potion's classroom, with no hope of being saved from her detention fate. She couldn't believe Snape had put her in detention just for getting her book from his classroom. She had learned her lesson, most definitely, but just couldn't seem to convince the greasy git of that.

Flashback

"Ginny, I'm sorry for laughing!" Colin said in an exasperated voice. "You don't know how sorry I am, but it was funny! It's still funny! Would you look at me?"

Ginny sat next to him at their table in Potions. Ginny had been staring straight ahead with her arms folded since Colin had walked in.

"No," she stated curtly.

"Well, at least I got you to say something," Colin said as Professor Snape walked into the room.

"Quiet down; this is a class, not a zoo. Ms. Weasley, I noticed you left your textbook here last class. I also noticed it was gone this morning. Do you have your essay done?" Snape asked accusingly.

"Of course, Professor Snape. I always get my homework done," Ginny said with a fake smile.

"Well, then, either you snuck out after curfew or copied the work off of another. Please believe that you will be punished for whatever crime you have committed. Detention, tonight, eight o'clock."

"But Professor!" Ginny protested, "I didn't do anything wrong!"

"Ms. Weasley, take your detention and be happy I'm not sending you to the Headmaster," Snape threatened.

Ginny huffed back into her seat, pouting for the rest of the class.

Flashback end

Ginny had finally started talking to Colin again after that, to ask him to figure out some way to get her off the hook for the detention. Of course, there was no way they could think of. She was hoping, at least, that Snape wasn't overseeing it. She didn't think she could stand to look at that greasy jerk for three hours without using her wand to wash his hair.

She opened the door to the classroom and stepped in, head down. She had planned to go flying with Ron and Harry. They didn't often include her in the buddy type things that they did, as they figured she'd rather hang out with Hermione. This was the first time she'd been asked to join them, and she had to cancel because stupid Snape had decided he wanted her to be stuck in detention.

She walked straight to her seat without so much as a glance to see who her torturer would be on this dreary day.

"Weasley," drawled a voice from the front of the room before she could sit down. Ginny gasped and looked up, convinced that whatever entity was controlling her life had now decided it was time to have a little fun at her expense.

"M-malfoy." She looked up in shock, her jaw hitting the floor and her eyes wide. Ginny recovered quickly and tried to make herself look like she wasn't completely going crazy. "I take it your overseeing my detention tonight?"

"Of course, Weasel. Snape would never oversee his own detention," Draco snarled with his arms crossed. Ginny noticed that he had made himself very comfortable. He had on his Quidditch robes, which, she noted, looked very good on him. Ginny remembered that the Slytherin team had practice earlier, and that was why Ginny, Ron, and Harry couldn't fly before her detention. He had his feet propped up on top of Snape's desk, and his hair was slightly messy.

"Of course," Ginny over dramatically reiterated to him. "Why would he do it, when he has his very own bitch to do everything for him?"

Draco smirked. As much as it annoyed him that she was talking back, her wit and sarcasm was one of the things he appreciated about her the most. He took a moment to look her over before replying. She wasn't wearing her robes, which he could've taken points off for, had he not liked how she looked so much. Her skirt was a few inches shorter than the dress code required, but it was obviously because of the growth she had done in the past year, and not her own attempts of looking older. Her white dress shirt was also about a size too small and clinging to her chest rather nicely. It was also untucked and the top button was loose. Her medium length, auburn hair was pulled up in a clip, with a few loose strands framing her face. She looked flushed, as if she had been embarrassed. Well, Draco thought, since she knows what she knows, it's a given she'd be embarrassed.

"Weasley, I'm in charge here. I would stop snapping at the person who is in charge of everything move you make," Draco said with a hint of mischief and insinuation hidden in his voice. Draco fought the urge to laugh at the expression on her face.

She gasped, not believing that he had just said that and insinuated that he'd make her do things. Well, she thought to herself, that is what the person that's over detention does: hand out certain punishments to fit the crimes. But she knew that the punishments he was thinking about were not as simple or innocent as cleaning a few desks.

"Weasley. Snap out of it. Now, first, Snape asked that you make sure the ingredients are all in alphabetical order in the closet. That shouldn't take long, as I made sure of that just last week." Draco removed his feet from the desk and began to walk toward the closet with a key.

Ginny let out a sigh of relief, glad she was wrong about what punishments would be assigned–at least, so far. She watched Draco unlock the door and move back a few feet, smirking all the while.

She did find this odd, but she didn't think about it. Opening the closet, she realized that he had tricked her. The boggart had not been removed.

She gasped as the ghost of Tom Riddle stared back at her, smirking better than any other Slytherin could ever wish to. His jet black hair and piercing blue-green eyes stared back at her, leering like she had seen him when he had finally met her in the chamber. She stood in shock, trying to force herself to move, but she couldn't make it happened. She couldn't breath at all, and was beginning to whimper slightly. She was paralyzed with fear, and her wand was back on the her desk, not that she'd have been able to use it had she brought it with her. Tears were starting to streak down her face right before she collapsed from the fear, nearly hitting the floor before Draco caught her in his arms. He laid her down, banished the boggart, then carried her to the front of the room. As he laid her down, he mused on how light she was, and how wonderful it felt to hold her in his arms, even if she didn't know it.

He stood next to her for a few minutes, reveling in being so close to her. All he wanted was to lean in and capture her lips with his, just once. He didn't, though, because he was afraid he wouldn't be able to stop at just once. He pulled himself away from her, convincing himself that it was better that he stayed far away.

She regained consciousness Snape's desk, although it took her a minute to realize that. She looked around, expecting to see that thing again, but he was gone. The only other person that she saw was Malfoy, sitting a few feet away and looking a tad concerned. She sat up, only to get dizzy and find herself laying down again.

"Weasley, are you okay?" he asked, in a frantic, slightly warmer voice that she wasn't so used to.

She couldn't help a bit of sarcasm. "You sound worried, Draco. Why ever could that be? And, yes, I'm fine," she said, trying to sit up again.

He gave her a look, not sure how to respond to her statements.

"Why would you do that, Malfoy?" she cried as soon as she gained enough composure. "You knew there was a boggart in that closet! You knew about the chamber! Why would you do something like that to anyone?!" She found herself screaming at him.

"I. . .I don't know." He looked down to the floor. He should've realized her biggest fear would be Tom Riddle. He had almost killed her. How could he think her biggest fear would be as shallow as. . .well, as his? He started getting this weird feeling in the pit of his stomach, almost as if he wished he hadn't done what he'd just done.

"Weasley, I think we should end this detention now. You may leave," he said, resuming his usual voice. Ginny stood up, and walked over to grab her things off of her desk. She took one more searing look at Draco before turning for the door. She was almost out of it before she heard him say, "I'm sorry."

Ginny stopped where she was and looked back at him, just a little shocked. She couldn't see him anywhere in the room. Realizing he had no intention of her actually hearing her, and that he'd walked into the potion's closet before she could see him, she continued out.

Draco emerged from the closet and watched her walk down the hall. He was glad she didn't decide to look back or something, because he wouldn't be able to explain away watching her hips sway slightly as she walked slowly away from him.

He pulled himself out of his thoughts and gathered his things. He had homework, and he had Head Boy duty tonight. He needed a shower before it got too late.

He entered the Slytherin common room only to be assaulted by Blaise.

"Why back so early, Malfoy?" Blaise asked, with a smirk on his face.

"Nothing of your concern, Zabini," Draco responded with a slight sigh.

"How did the detention go?" Zabini fired back.

"None of your business, Zabini." Draco started walking up the stairs to his own dorm away from Blaise, but felt his nerves rattle as he heard Zabini stand and follow him.

"Come on, Draco, I want to know what happened. Obviously, it wasn't good, because you're not very happy. I mean, if you had made out with her, or screwed her, I believe you'd be skipping up these steps. But you're trudging like the world has ended," Blaise was babbling a bit.

"Antithesis of Truth," Draco said at the portrait of a pink and black fairy.

"Come on, Draco, tell me! You always used to tell me these things, then this little obsession with the Weasel-bitch happened, and you won't even talk to me at all!"

Draco spun around, pinning Blaise against the wall by his throat. "Call her a bitch again, and I'll not have any remorse over your dead body lying on this floor. Got it?" he whispered.

Blaise nodded frantically, seeing as how his air supply was cut off and he couldn't speak. Draco let him go and Blaise grasped at his now red throat.

"Geez, Malfoy. This crush is much more serious than I thought. Seriously, talk to me," Blaise said as he followed Draco into his dorm.

"You never get any less annoying, do you know that?" Draco asked as he placed his books on his desk.

"Yes." Blaise had a seat on Draco's bed. Draco looked at him, and gave in. He started from the boggart and told Blaise the whole story.

As he finished, he looked at Blaise. "Happy now?"

"Well, not really. I mean, this feeling you're describing, wishing you hadn't done it and all? Draco, I can't believe I'm saying this, but you felt guilty. You have a conscience."

"Well, this is certainly new. I've never felt bad about anything before. Even our little quarrels in the hallway; I loved to see her fired up. But what just happened made me feel like the lowest piece of crap in the Wizarding World," Draco said, pulling his fingers through his hair.

"Well, old boy, what exactly are you going to do about this?" Blaise asked.

"Do? What do you mean do? Why do I have to do anything?" Draco asked, cooly.

"Draco, you do know what this is, don't you?" Blaise asked, shocked at the absence of realization from his friend.

"No. What are you talking about?"

"Draco, my friend, you can't just let this pass, because it never will. You're going to be stuck with this feeling for the rest of your life," Blaise said, then pausing for effect. "You're in love with Ginny Weasley."

Draco, who had just put a bite of chocolate frog inside his mouth, gasped, then started gagging and choking.

Review, please?


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Sorry this took so long. Lots of holiday things have happened, and I lost my muse for a long time. But now it's back, so all is good. Read on, and review me, please?

Disclaimer: I disclaim.

Chapter 5:

After her detention, Ginny walked back to the Gryffindor common room nearly in tears. Colin was the only one in the common room when she rushed in.

"Ginny? A little early to be back, aren't you?" he asked standing like a gentleman should. She looked up at him and he noticed her puffy red eyes. "Bloody hell, Gin, what's wrong? Did Snape try to molest you? I knew he was a pedophile!"

"Snape wasn't over the detention," Ginny said as they both had a seat on the red plush couch. "And, ew, Colin, that's disgusting!"

Colin shrugged. He was so positive that Snape was a sick and evil man. "So, if it wasn't Snape, then what happened?"

"Well, Draco was over the detention," Ginny started, a reluctant glance at Colin before proceeding.

"Oh, I think I understand now," Colin said, nodding.

"No, you don't know the half of it," Ginny laughed ironically through the tears that she was holding back.

"Do tell. It'll feel better to tell," Colin encouraged.

"Well," she sniffed, "I walked in and we both had some snarky comments, and then he told me to make sure the ingredients in the closet were in order, and I went to the closet, and the boggart was still in there, and...and..." Ginny started helplessly weeping.

"Oh, Merlin." He pulled her to him and let her cry on his shoulder. Once she had calmed herself, he pulled her away, comfortingly rubbing her hair down. "Tom?" he asked her, nodding a little.

"Tom," she replied, nodding along with him. "I know it was just a boggart, but I was just so scared, and he snarled at me, and then I didn't have my wand, and I flashed back to the chamber, and I was so scared, Colin. I was terrified, and I fainted."

"Oh, Ginny, it's all ok. It was just a boggart, and he's not alive anymore. Harry got rid of the diary, and he brought you out of the chamber, and it's all okay." Colin held her as she finished crying.

"He knew it wasn't gone. He tricked me into the closet. It was all his fault that I was bloody scared unconscious," the anger in Ginny's voice becoming more apparent with every word, as well as the fact that she was gasping for breath.

"That was wrong of him, Gin, but please calm down. You'll make yourself sick." Colin summoned a box of tissues to them and handed one to the sobbing girl.

"I know, Colin. I need to calm down." She wiped her tears and straightened herself up as she began taking deep, relaxing breaths. "But just because I'm calm doesn't mean I'm going to not be mad. That was a horrible, mean, vile thing for him to do."

"Yes, it was." Colin always agreed with Ginny when she was in this state of mind. If he disagreed, she'd just become illogical and impossible to talk to. Unfortunately, the thoughts that were running through his head were screaming that Malfoy, no matter how much of a total arse he was, didn't think that her boggart would take the shape of Riddle.

"Oh, Colin, I've got to go. I have prefect duty tonight. Can't get caught skiving off my duties. I'll be put in another detention with that git." Ginny pulled out her wand and magicked her face back to its normal, non puffiness.

"Gin, don't be too hard on Malfoy. Oh, wow, did that just come out of my mouth?" Colin marveled at those words for a minute before continuing. "But, seriously, I don't think that he meant any harm."

Ginny stared at him for a moment. "Okay, Colin. Whatever you say." She walked out of the portrait laughing to herself.

Page break, page break! Woot!

After laughing his arse off at Draco's situation, Blaise finally gave his supposed "best friend" the Heimlich maneuver.

"Thanks," Draco said dryly when he was able to breath again.

"No problem, old boy, no problem. You just supplied me with enough amusement for this entire next week," Blaise said, still laughing.

"Glad I could be of such a grand assistance," he said, smiling wryly, then stood. "I'm going to take a walk. Don't be here when I get back." As he left, he could still hear Blaise's taunting laughter.

Walking the hallway, he couldn't help but ponder that word.

Love.

He had been obsessed with the word when he was around eight. He could remember reading anything he could about love. Unfortunately, those saucy novels his mother had proved to be the opposite of what he was looking for, and he quickly figured that out.

But even they all talked about that feeling, too. He didn't know what love was, but was sure that he hadn't ever experienced it. He could identify respect, disappointment, approval, acceptance, rejection, and so many different feelings from his parents, but he couldn't identify love.

The books he had read made him believe that love was expressed with hugs, kisses, words of thought and praise, and so many other little things to show a person that you appreciated them and the place they held in your life. Those things were not allowed in the Malfoy family.

His mother had finally explained that love, in their family, was about knowing, deep down, that you were always loved, but that showing that you loved one another was a weakness that could very easily be taken advantage of by an enemy. He still hadn't gotten it, but he told her that he understood, because she was getting very annoyed with him.

He hadn't ever thought about what it was after that. He left it behind, in his childhood, believing that he wouldn't ever experience the type of love those books had spoken of.

But as he walked these hallways, he had fallen. How, he didn't know. When, still not sure.

The girl was not the one he was supposed to fall for. His parents were looking for him to marry a high society minion from Beauxbatons. He had met her a few times, and they had hit it off perfectly fine.

He didn't want to become all poetic and weepy eyed for a Weasley girl. A crush, he could accept. A small obsession, he could turn around completely. Love? Love wasn't a choice. Love was a demand the gods made upon a simple soul with no self discipline who couldn't take control of his or her own destiny.

"Damn my simple soul," Draco said out loud to himself as he shook his head and turned a corner.

"You don't even try to be stealthy or sly, do you, Head Boy?" a voice asked from the opposite direction.

"Don't have to be, I'm..." Draco started the statement off as a snarky comeback, but lost all train of thought when he turned to see the same girl who tormented his heart.

"Head Boy?" she finished for him, taking a page from his book, smirking.

He couldn't think of anything to say. It was as if his entire brain had shut down.

And it was making him mad.

"What's the matter, Draco? Weasel got your tongue?" Ginny asked, then realized how that sounded. "Um, taking that last statement back."

Still, he stood there, staring at her, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

"Merlin, Draco, would you say something? I know you've got plenty of snarky comebacks for my brother and his friends. Where are mine?" He studied how she stood there, one leg turned slightly to the side with her arms crossed. It was so insanely sensual, although he couldn't understand why.

He started to wonder if that was his problem. He was trying too hard to figure out the "Why" and "How." Yes, that had to be his problem. If he just acted without thinkingâ₢??

But wasn't that how they ended up with her unconscious after seeing a boggart in the form of the teenage Dark Lord?

"Damn," was all he said. Ginny stood as he turned and walked away from her.

"Wow, and I thought Harry was good at brooding," she snarled, flipping her hair as she turned and walked in the opposite direction.

Being compared with the Boy who Refused to Die? Draco suddenly found his voice again.

"What did you just say?" he demanded as he turned to where she was walking away.

"I said I thought Harry was good at brooding. Unfortunately, you've given him some bloody good competition," she called back from over her shoulder.

Draco did not like the fact that he had to run after the redheaded seductress.

"I do not appreciate being compared to that...that...oh, bloody hell, I can't even come up with a good insult for Harry bloody Potter right now!" Draco yelled as he fell perfectly in step with her. "This is what you do to me. I hope you're bloody well happy!" He stopped walking.

Ginny turned fiercely back around. "I do this? How do I do this? I don't want to do anything to you, but does that stop you from doing what you do to me? No, so just leave me alone, because none of this is my fault!" she screamed. Draco would be lying if he tried to say that he wasn't the least bit taken back by her sudden anger.

"I don't know what the bloody hell I do to you! I've never done anything directly to you! Played a few tricks on your brother and his friends, but I have never done anything to intentionally hurt or frustrate or injure you!" Draco yelled back as soon he caught his bearings.

"Intentionally! Intentionally isn't the only way you hurt people! Intentionally or not, you do."

"And intentionally or not, you do, too."

The yelling had ceased, and the two stood there, trying to digest what had accidentally slipped from their own mouth, and also what the other had put out in the open, also. It was Ginny who made the first move, throwing her hands up, stomping her foot, squealing in anguish, and stalking back onto her path for prefect duties.

Draco waited until he was sure she was gone before scolding himself for his little emotional outburst. The wall also got in a little of the scolding action, as he pounded his head up against it while repeating, "Stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid," for about fifteen minutes. After he was finished, he used his wand to recover from the nasty bruises his forehead was encountering, and began the trek back to his common room.

As the portrait swung open, Blaise and Pansy looked away from the fire. When they saw it was Draco, they both burst into a fit of the giggles.

"What is wrong with you two?" Draco asked.

"Oh, nothing, Draco," Pansy said. "Blaise here was just telling me all about your little predicament." She giggled again.

"Bloody hell, Blaise, why do I bother telling you anything?" Draco yelled.

"Oh, Draco, you know you can't keep anything from us." Blaise smiled, a type of innocent, but you know he's guilty smile.

Draco gave him a death glare before retreating to his dormitory. His first impulse was to wreck everything, but he realized much too soon for his taste that it wouldn't solve anything. He'd just have to clean it up, and he hated tedious cleaning chores.

He settled on a cold shower and banging his head up against the shower walls.

Page break, page break, woot!!

Ginny had stomped away in quite a tizzy. Mimicking Draco's words all the way back to the common room, she screamed when the Fat Lady told her that she should breath more often.

Hearing the scream, the trio, Neville, and Colin had turned to see the portrait swing open.

Ginny surged through the open portrait, her anguish apparent to all sitting inside. She was still mimicking, but now, it was the Fat Lady's words instead of Draco's.

Colin stared at her for a moment, as did the rest of the group, before saying, "Gin? Are you okay?" She stopped what she was doing, which was stomping around in little circles, crying out in frustration, and uttering nonsense that none of the five could quite get a grasp on.

"Okay? Okay! No! I'm not okay! This day--no, this _week_ has been the single most confusing week I have ever had to live through! I cannot begin to describe what I'm feeling at this moment, but damnit straight to hell if 'okay' is not one of the words I can use." With that, she rushed up to her dormitory.

The group sat there for a moment, staring at the space she had been standing in when she started to scream.

"I think she'll be okay," Ron said, not even trying to understand what he'd just heard.

Harry shook his head. "I'll never understand girls."

Hermione just nodded to Colin, who had given her a pleading look that silently asked if she'd go check on Ginny.

Neville was simply scared out of his wits.

Page Break, Page Break, Woot!!

Ginny was throwing pillows. Feathers were flying everywhere.

That would've been just fine with Hermione, had she not been allergic to whatever bird had been stripped naked to make Ginny's pillows.

Silently standing there until Ginny was finished with her tantrum had been Hermione's plan.

"A-choo! A-choo!" Well, there went that plan. Ginny looked up from her pillow destroying.

"Yes, Hermione, may I assist you in some way?" She smiled a tight lipped smile that clearly stated her frustration over her temper tantrum being interrupted.

"A-choo!" Hermione sneezed again. "Ginny, I--a-choo!--was just wondering if you wanted to talk about whatever was bothering you. A-choo!"

Ginny flicked her wand and the feathers all disappeared. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms as she looked at her friend.

"Hermione, dear, I do not wish to talk. If I wished to talk, I would have explained what was wrong when I started to throw my fit downstairs. I came up here because I do not want to share my anger and frustration with the lot of you. That, and I thought for sure I was about to give Neville a heart attack. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have some serious demolishing to do...," Ginny calmly stated all of this before screaming again and going for another pillow.

Hermione backed slowly out of the room, so she did not disturb the she-beast with the harmful claws.

She was shaking her head as she walked back down the stairs.

"Is she okay, Hermione?" Colin asked.

"Just go ahead and reserve her a room in St. Mungo's. The girl is mad!" she cried as she gathered her books. "I'm going to bed. You had all best be going soon, too."

"Told you she was all right," Ron stated as Hermione walked back up the stair. "Night, 'Mione!"

All done. You all like?? Tell me, please?? Off to go write, and goof off elsewhere. Love you all!


	6. Chapter 6

Toes of the Tickled Kind: I give you fluff. Fluff is good. I like fluff! You certainly like fluff! Now, please put the shovel away?

HRInuyashaFan: I'm really sorry that I took so long with that other chapter. I give you this one, even though I think it took way too long, too. Sorry, and thanks lots for your review!

JoJo: I'm really good at writing tantrums, I think. Could be because I know quite well how to have them myself. They're fun!

Kathe: I think you're right. It was a little fast. In this chapter, I (think) I made it sound like they were so shocked that the feelings were deeper, that he and Blaise both overreacted. I made sure in this chapter that he never actually says he loves her. I always seem to push my characters in love way too fast. I really need to work on it, and thanks for pointing that out!!

Also thanks to Ryuu no Taiyo and Icy-Queen for their reviews!

Sorry it took too much time again. My beta hasn't been online for a while, so it's unbeta'd.

Chapter Six:

Ginny woke up the next morning with no pillows. After having ripped them all to pieces, she had been too tired to charm the feathers back in them. In fact, the feathers were still in little piles all around her bed. 

Her nasty habit of not being able to process things before her shower was still there, as she tiptoed through the plumage, wondering what kinky activity her roommates had been up to for all of those to be around.

As the water cascading over her face, she gasped at the realization that those feathers had not been scattered due to hormonal, pervy teenage girls, but her own anger over Draco Malfoy.

Had she admitted to him that he unintentionally did something to her that she wasn't willing to give in to?

And she snapped at her friends. She knew they'd understand, but it still made her feel bad.

She groaned as she wondered how she'd get in a few classes between all the damage control she'd have to do today.

Stepping off the last step into the common room, she saw Neville and Colin waiting on her.

"Gin, you okay this morning?" Colin asked, moving toward her. 

"Shh. Quiet please. Temper tantrum hangover. My head hurts," she groaned. Colin and Neville both laughed as they followed her out.

(Look, Asterisks, just for JoJo!)

Draco rolled out of bed very unhappy. His head was pounding from the beating it had taken in its fight with the wall.

After a long shower and a healing potion, he walked into his own common room, expecting everyone to be gone.

Blaise was leaning up against the wall next to the portrait, arms crossed and a smirk adorning his dark complected face.

"Zabini, it's too early. Don't start," Draco said as he walked past. Blaise just laughed as he followed him out. Blaise and Draco had both had a hard time sleeping the night before, Draco because of the situation, Blaise just because he was an insomniac. They had talked, liked they used to do when they were younger, late into the night. Draco would absolutely fume every time Blaise said he was in love with Ginny, and he and Blaise had finally decided on agreeing to disagree. Though Draco was feeling something for the fiery redhead, it was too soon to be called love. Blaise, though, was staying true to his annoying side by telling Draco that he was in love with her.

In the Great Hall, the two were both trying to tell themselves that they were trying to avoid each others' gaze. Ginny was doing a very bad job at this, as she would begin to glare menacingly and grumble to herself about an evil git and a boggart.

Colin kept stuffing biscuits in her mouth to keep her from letting Ron have a reason to find himself in Azkaban.

Draco, though much better at avoiding the fact that she was in the Great Hall along with him, couldn't ignore her glare. The entire meal went by, as he tried to dismiss her glares, but only succeeded in catching her eye. Too soon for his taste, Blaise was pulling him to his feet, telling him class was only minutes away.

Colin, also, had to pull Ginny out of her reverie, and pull her along with him, swearing that something would be done about this before lunch was over.

Ginny, who would've most likely gone off the deep end at hearing that, was still staring daggers at the blond boy across the hall. 

The morning classes flew by for both respective parties. Draco nor Ginny had the other to glare at, so both found that classes were much easier to deal with than meals.

As they were leaving their last morning class, Colin pulled Ginny to the side. "I don't think it's a good idea for us to eat in the Great Hall, Gin. You barely ate anything this morning--"

"Did too! You kept stuffing biscuits in my mouth," Ginny argued.

"And I was thinking the Room of Requirement would suffice for food and no Malfoy. What do you think?" Colin finished, ignoring Ginny's statement.

It took Ginny a few minutes to reply, because an inner war was going on. If she didn't go to the Great Hall, she wouldn't see Draco. That should be good. That should tell her immediately to go straight to the Room of Requirement. But, for some strange reason, she was positively determined to go to the Great Hall, instead.

"I don't know, Colin. I think we should eat in the Great Hall." Ginny started walking to lunch.

"Well, if you insist on sitting there glaring at Malfoy. Honestly, Gin, the trio is started to notice those glances of lust you keep giving him. I think they mentioned taking you aside to talk to you about it when we get down there." Colin waited for her to turn back to him.

Ginny stopped in her tracks. "Fine. No Great Hall," Ginny stated in the shortest syllables possible and her teeth gritted in frustration. "And those are not glances of lust, Colin Creevey, and you'd best take that back." Her eyes flashed with a little bit of anger as Colin just laughed. If she was that mad over that little comment, he wondered what she'd do when she figured out what he'd had planned.

Draco had drifted off into thought sometime during his last class, and had not realized that it was over. Blaise pulled him to his feet after the rest of the class had gone, saying, "Come on, old boy, we're eating somewhere different today."

"Why not eat in the Great Hall? It's never failed to fill us up yet. Well, except for when Crabbe and Goyle stole our plates," Draco replied as he gathered his things.

"Change of plans. You're going too crazy over that girl. People were starting to stare this morning. We're eating in the Room of Requirement," Blaise stated, leading the way out the door.

Draco and Blaise had just sat down at their small, two person table, complete with candles and a flower. The blond haired Slytherin was about to comment on the all too romantic look at the table when the door to the Room of Requirement opened once again.

"I said to take it back, Creevey, and you are going to take it back before this lunch is over!" 

Draco was very glad he had yet to take a bite of his meal, because he didn't need a repeat of the chocolate frog incident.

"Oh, Colin, there you are!" Blaise called, with pseudo enthusiasm . Draco glared at the dark haired wizard.

"Hullo, there, Blaise," Colin replied to his greeting in the same way. Ginny glared at her own best friend.

"We best be getting to the library, then, hadn't we, for that research," Blaise said as he stood from the table.

"Colin Creevey!" Ginny squealed, stomping her foot. Colin winced as Blaise and Draco covered their ears. "You planned this! You did it! You are about to leave me in the Room of Requirement, all alone, with Draco bloody Malfoy!" 

"Sorry, Gin. While you were taking your breakfast up by glaring at Malfoy, I wrote a little note to Blaise. See, I have some research I need to do, and I thought he could help me. Neville gave it to him, and he suggested that since we wouldn't be there to eat lunch with the two of you, you could eat together. Bright idea, if you ask me." Colin smiled like he didn't know a massacre was about to take place.

"Yes, I believe it was, also. And, Weasley, his middle name is Lucius, not bloody." Blaise smiled in return to Ginny's glare, and winked at her for good measure. "Best be on our way, Creevey. Oh, and Draco, be nice, or your desert won't be served. It's your favorite: cherry cheesecake." Blaise smirked as he pushed Ginny down in the seat opposite Draco. Ginny glared at all of the boys, one at a time, then tried to stand back up. Blaise pushed her down again. 

Colin saw the glint in her eye. Blaise was about to get bit, kicked, scratched, or pinched. He put his two cents in as quickly as possible.

"Come on, Ginny. I know that you'll sit there for a big piece of chocolate cake with chocolate chips baked into it, and chocolate icing with whipped cream topping it off." As he said that, Ginny's eyes closed and she smiled. "Remember to be nice, Gin, or you'll not get your dessert, either."

"You're both total arses," Ginny stated, settling herself into the chair and crossing her arms.

"We all love you, too, Ginny," Colin replied before the two boys left the room. 

They sat in silence for nearly five minutes. Draco was the first to speak.

"I can't believe Creevey thought this up."

"Don't you dare start in on Colin. He's the best friend I've got and I won't have you downing him," Ginny snapped.

"Relax, Weasley. My insults stick mainly to your brother and Potter. I don't even say things about Granger anymore. I'm just saying I think that it was very intelligent and conniving." Draco smiled at her as he said this.

He figured, if he was going to be stuck in here, he'd best take advantage of it. No telling when he'd ever get to spend time with the girl fate had forced him to have actual feelings for again.

Ginny eyed him with caution. "Are you really going to be nice? I mean, I know you're acting like you will be, but are you going to be sincere about it, or are you going to think mean things about me while we're chatting?"

"I really like cheesecake. I'm not taking any chances," Draco replied with a smirk.

"Cheesecake?" was her unbelieving reply. 

"Listen, Weasleyâ�""

"Ginny."

"What?"

"If you're going to be nice, call me Ginny, not Weasley. There are nine of us in my immediate family. I never know who people are talking about when they say Weasley."

"Okay, then. Ginny." Draco smiled again. "I've never called anyone outside of Slytherin by their first name."

"Really? I can't imagine ever calling anyone by their last name. Well, except for people in Slytherin." Ginny laughed.

Draco continued to smile. When she was done, he said, "You know, I really like it when you laugh." Ginny suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Draco decided that this was a good of a time as any for the talk he knew they'd have to have.

"Ginny, I know you were in the Potions' classroom the other night, when I was working alone. I know, also, that you saw the boggart. I don't care at all. That changes nothing."

"What? Yes it does. It changes a lot," Ginny argued.

"No, it doesn't. You are still Ginny Weasley. You are still Ron's little sister, and you still feel the same about me. I am still Draco Malfoy, the evil git in Slytherin. This little crush, obsession, fixation, whatever you want to call it that I've had for you, well, I never planned to do anything about it. Honestly, I still don't."

"Never?"

"Never. The Slytherin thing for me to do is try to break you. Make you love me, then leave you crying on Potter's shoulder. I honestly don't want to do anything of the sort. I may be an evil, sometimes menacing sex god, but when I really care for someone, I do anything I can for them. I don't break girls. I have enough money to buy them."

Ginny snorted.

"But, with you, if I bought your love, it would hurt too much to lose you.." He paused. "My mother once told me that showing love is a weakness. Blaise and Pansy are the only two that know about this, but when they want me to react, they mention you. This isn't a recent thing, Ginny. I've been feeling whatever it is I'm feeling since around the end of my third year. They didn't find out until fifth year, and that hex you gave me. Blaise still claims I bragged about it."

Ginny stared at him, surprised that he was telling her any of this.

"Like I said, this changes nothing. I've lived with this for so long, and I'm not making you acknowledge it at all. You can go on hating me. I'm only here for another few months anyway. If it makes you happy, go run to Potter and don't give me a second thought, because all I want is for you to be happy."

"Draco, you say that like you're doing me a favor by letting me go."

It was Draco's turn to look at her in surprise.

"I mean, what if I don't want you to let me go? What if I want you to fight for me, to make me love you?" Ginny's face started to color, just a little. Draco wasn't sure if it was from anger or embarrassment.

"I don't know why you'd want that. You have so much, so many people. You have The Boy Who Lived. You don't need me."

"I don't need anything, but food, water, and sleep. But what if I wanted you? What if you were the one I've wanted since I was a firstie? What if we've spent so many years walking these same halls, in love with each other, but never letting on to the other?"

"But you were in love with Potter," Draco stated, his confusion forcing words out of his mouth.

"Yes, I was. I was just saying, what if. Not saying we did go through all of that. Wouldn't that have been hell?" Ginny laughed.

Draco wasn't very happy at her tricking him, but he smiled anyway. Her laugh made him feel some kind of a euphoria that made everything else just fade away.

"That wasn't very nice of you, Ginny. Maybe you won't get that chocolate cake," Draco warned.

Ginny gasped, staring him down. "Don't even joke about chocolate cake!" she cried.

"I'm not joking. Best be nice from now on." He laughed when she crossed her arms again and started pouting.

She softened, saying, "Wow."

"What?" Draco asked, thinking he'd done something less than aristocratic.

"You. You've neverâ�"I mean, I've never heard you laugh. Your laugh is nice, too. And about that being not very nice, it was payback. And you deserve much more than that for your stupid little boggart trick," Ginny scolded with the full power of her mother's scoldings.

Draco was quiet for a moment. "I am truly sorry about that, Ginny. I don't know what came over me. I wasn't thinking, I guess. I completely forgot about the Chamber. I just..."

"Stop making excuses, Draco. I heard you apologize when I was leaving the room."

Draco looked into her eyes. "I really didn't think you would."

"Well, I did, and through all of this, I just wish you would let me have my chance to make it known how I feel about this situation, instead of just assuming that I hate you and leaving it at that."

"Well, now's your chance, Ginny. Make it known." Draco sat back, waiting to hear what she had to say.

"Harry's nothing like you think he is to me, by the way."

"That's not what we were talking about," Draco stated, getting ready to argue with her.

"Your worst fear is me and Harry together. You never have to worry about that. He's like another brother. I love him, but it makes me physically ill to think about kissing him. You should know that before I tell you anything else."

"Okay, then. I understand that Harry is nothing to you. What else do I need to know."

"Let's see." Ginny looked at him. "I love musicals. My pillows are shredded on my floor right now, and there are feathers all over my room. I get illogical if I get into a mood and you don't agree with me. And I don't joke about chocolate cake."

"Why do I need to know all of that?" Draco asked, sitting forward in his chair.

"I think I could like you, Draco. Even if I don't like the way you treat people, or anyone in your family, or any of the rumors that fly around about you, I think I might feel something. I might be able to stomach your arrogant, self absorbed, spoiled attitude, because over the past few days, you've shown me that you're a human being."

Draco was quiet.

Ginny was quiet.

Nobody spoke for another five minutes.

"Well?" Ginny asked.

"You're crazy," Draco said.

"I think I know that. I think the rest of Gryffindor knows that, too. I heard that Hermione booked me a room in St. Mungo's just this morning. Neville said she was muttering something about an insane, illogical, immature, spoiled brat with red hair. I don't care." Ginny looked at him. "What about you? Is your private room overlooking the best view all booked up?"

"I think Blaise has some sort of arrangement like that for me, but I don't think it's because we're talking. I think it was in case we never did."

"Are we friends now?" Ginny asked.

"What do you want us to be?" Draco replied.

"I want us to be friends first. I need to trust you. I might've liked what I've seen over the past few days, but I don't know you enough to trust you. Trusted too easily in my first year. It didn't turn out too well."

"Friends it is, then. Ginny, I don't know what I feel for you. I don't even know if I believe in love. Never understood it. But I know I care about you, in some way, and I want you to know I don't think I could stand myself if I hurt you," Draco said. "And I'm hoping that we can become very good friends." He winked with that last comment, and Ginny turned a nice, deep shade of red.

"Take it slow, Malfoy, I'm no where near ready for us to become that type of friends." She laughed as two plates of dessert suddenly appeared on the table. "Chocolate cake!" she squealed.

Draco laughed again. He was learning quickly that there was one sure fire way to get anything from her.

They ate their desserts in silence until Draco was done, having nearly inhaled his cheesecake. Ginny, on the other hand, had been taking her time, savoring the chocolate chips, and saving the whipped cream for the last possible bites.

It was annoying Draco how slowly she was eating.

He reached over, his hand getting closer and closer to her plate. She gave a predatory growl before he grabbed at the plate away.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy, give it back!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. Draco just laughed. He swiped his fingers into the whipped cream, and, hearing her gasp and the disaster at hand, continued to dab it onto her nose.

"Noooooo!" she cried, jumping up to retrieve her chocolatey goodness.

She chased him around for a minute or so, or at least chased as much as she could in the nearly closet sized room. She grabbed hold of his robes, and pulled him close enough so she could attempt to reach her cake, which was proving to be a feeble attempt. He was holding it over her head, and she was entirely too short to reach as high as he was.

Somewhere in the little game they were playing, Ginny had pulled herself so close that their bodies were pressed against each other. Draco's hand found its way to the small of her back, and somehow Ginny was able to forget about the cake for a moment as his eyes met hers.

Draco didn't know where the cake went, or how his other hand found its way to her back like the other one, or when her arms made their way around his neck, but it all felt right.

He also didn't know when his lips found hers. He was sure that friends didn't do this. He was friends with Blaise and they didn't do this.

But he really wasn't bothering much about it, because this was a small part of all those crazy dreams that had made him wake up in such a mood for so many years. This, though, was much better than any of the dreams his subconscious had ever come up with.

When they pulled away from each other, he pinched himself. "Ow."

"Why exactly did you do that?" Ginny asked in a very weak, airy voice. Her face was flushed.

"This is usually the part where I wake up."

"You've dreamed about me?" Ginny had never thought that any guy would dream about her.

"Every night. Lunch is almost over. I think we should...do something that isn't this...," Draco said, pulling her arms off of his neck. He let go of her, but she still held onto him.

"I don't want to go to class," Ginny replied. Her voice was small, and she sounded frightened.

"They'll all wonder where we are," Draco said.

"I don't care."

"Friends don't do this, Ginny." Draco gave her the most serious look he could muster with the flightiness he was feeling. "Don't do this to me if you're still going to make me call you a friend."

"We don't have to do this. I mean, I know I'm not going to be able to concentrate at all in class. I'll only want to be with you, talking to you, being near you. I don't want to go to class. But we don't have to do anything that doesn't count as friendly."

He looked at the girl, a smirk playing on his lips. "Do you really think you can resist me?"

"I can if I try really hard," she said with a laugh. "I can't believe I just said that. But, seriously, if we're going to be friends, we need to get to know each other. We can talk. Hang out. Skive off classes. We can even invite Colin and Blaise to hang out with us, if you'd feel more comfortable with company."

"I guess we could do that. We have Snape this afternoon. I really could use a day off in that class," Draco replied.

"I have Binns. He just distracts me from my nap." They smiled at each other right before the door opened.

Blaise and Colin walked back in.

"Oh, thank Merlin. They've not killed each other," Colin replied. Blaise laughed.

"Good thing, too. We'd be at fault for it," he replied.

"Ginny, why haven't you finished your cake?" Colin asked. There were very few things that he could count that could make Ginny forget about chocolate cake. "And why do you have whipped cream on your nose?"

Ginny and Draco burst out laughing.

End Chapter.

A/N: Review, please. If there's anything at all I could do better, feel free to tell me, because that's how people make things better, and I could really use the help. 


	7. Chapter 7

Author's note: Incredibly sorry about the long wait. I haven't had a computer for months. It's not a good excuse, but all I can do is apologize and beg your forgiveness. 

Also, un-beta'd. My beta is...otherwise _engaged_ and incredibly busy. If anyone finds any mistakes, I'm sorry, again.

Disclaimer: I do not own any portion of the Potter-verse, nor do I own any characters. I am not making money on this or any other aspect of my writing. (Darn it!)

Chapter Seven:

Draco laid on his bed, eating a sugar quill. Blaise and Colin had conjured bean bag chairs, and Ginny was lounging on top of Draco's desk. Draco had pointed out that his bed was more than big enough for all four of them, but Blaise and Colin felt that three guys on one bed was too many, and Ginny had replied that a bed is used for many other things besides sitting, and they were just friends.

"They'll be using that bed before long, I have the feeling," Blaise had whispered to Colin. Colin laughed a little louder than he should've, and Ginny and Draco both turned to glare at them.

Draco had pulled out his whole supply of goodies and candies that his mum had sent him recently, buying his affection and making up for his fathers lack thereof.

They were hyped so far above where their sugar level should have been that even Colin had stopped understanding Ginny's slurred, eccentric words. They had also been forced to magic her into sitting still, as she had used a spell to make herself literally bounce off the walls. She was now the victim of a glue spell Draco had put on the desk. The boys were lounging happily as Ginny screamed out in misery. "Please! Let me up now! This is torture! And it's not the fun kind, either!" They all stopped eating their respective sugary treats to give the innocent looking girl an accusatory glance. "Well, it's not," she huffed, crossing her arms.

"Don't you just love to see her pout?" Colin asked, a sly smile spreading across his lips.

"It is quite amusing," Blaise replied. "What do you think, Draco? Is it worth hexing her just to see her pouty lips and big brown eyes pleading with you?"

"I don't think I'd have to hex her to see her pout. I think there are much easier ways to get what I want," Draco smirked, waiting to see what Ginny's drama queen reaction was going to be.

She squealed. "That is wrong! That is positively deviant! Things like that should not be said in the presence of a lady! The three of you should be ashamed of yourselves!" Unfortunately, with her impending sugar high, no one understood a word the saucy little redhead said.

Draco looked helplessly to Colin, who shrugged and went back to his acid pop.

"Ginny, Love," Blaise said, "If you expect us to respond to you, you have to iterate your thoughts in a way that we'll be able to hear. Slow down next time."

Ginny huffed again, wiggling around to try to loosen the spell.

"Class. Would. Be. Better. Than. This," she stated in a slow, firm manner, looking Draco, then Blaise right in the eyes.

The boys laughed at her again, as she gave an exasperated cry.

"Ginny, you realize that if people heard sounds like that, not only would they assume certain things were happening, but they would also realize who that voice belongs to. You are quite vocal, and most people would recognize it as you," Colin reported to her. She had no choice but to glare at him.

"Colin, if you're so persistent this entire visit should be sex-filled and perverse, why don't you initiate that with Blaise. Everyone knows about your crush on him. Oh, wait. They didn't, did they?" Ginny replied, venom in her voice and a smirk playing on her lips as a blush crept up to Colin cheeks.

The day wore on, just like that. Eventually, they allowed Ginny to remove her ass from Draco's desk, and she huffed back to the Gryffindor common room to change clothes. Seems the spell Draco used actually caused a glue-like substance to stick itself to her, and her skirt was now ruined.

* * *

Later on, Colin and Ginny decided to take a walk, since they had no homework due to skiving off classes. Luckily, since the two were in a different year than Draco and Blaise, everyone had yet to put together that all four were out.

Colin laughed as they walked by the lake.

"What exactly is so funny?" Ginny asked, her arms folded.

"It was humorous, Gin, to watch you squirming about like that. Bloody hilarious." He laughed some more as she pouted.

"You knew what that candy would do. Why didn't you stop me?"

"Honestly? I thought it would be an amusing way to spend the afternoon. And you never disappoint, Gin."

"I personally liked that look Blaise got in his eyes when I mentioned your crush on him," Ginny replied with another smirk.

"That, Ginevra, was not at all nice. That was mean and unnecessary," Colin stopped walking to look at her.

"I thought it was interesting. The look on your face and the interest I saw in his. Wow. Is something going on there, Colin, that I don't know about?"

"No! Of course not! Nothing at all! He may not be the playboy that Draco is, but everyone knows that he's one of the most wanted bachelors at Hogwarts. He's so straight that he's stiff."

Ginny laughed at that.

"Okay, that sounded a bit perverse, but you know that's not what I meant."

"I know, Colin, but I wouldn't be surprised if you were wrong about that."

"Wrong? About Zabini being straight? Hah, you're insane, Gin-bug. Insane."

* * *

"Insanity, is what it is, Draco!" Blaise laughed from his bean bag seat. "I can't believe it. I never once fathomed that you would fall for a Weasley. For Merlin's sake, I never thought you would fall at all!"

"I have not fallen, Zabini." Draco glared at his friend.

"You can deny it all you want, but the connection is there. Chemistry is the most important thing, and the two of you have it. I can see the electricity fly when you look at each other."

"Chemistry? What on earth does chemistry have to do with any of this? Isn't that the muggle class that students often fail?" asked Draco, standing to get his wand from the table.

"Malfoy, sometimes I think you need a new brain." Blaise shook his head. Draco had retrieved his wand and was doing a cleaning spell on the desk. The glue substance that had previously held Ginny in place was refusing to remove itself from his desk.

"A new brain? Try a new best friend," Draco scoffed as he gave up on the glue. "At this moment, Zabini, I'm going to need for you to get lost. It's time for me to go to Snape's classroom and work on my special project."

"All right." Blaise stood up. "I'll see you a little later." He left the room.

* * *

After Ginny and Colin parted ways, Ginny began her prefect duties. She patrolled the dungeons, like she was scheduled to.

She was close to deciding that it was clearly going to be a quiet night and that she could definitely skive off the remainder of the time when an explosion sounded through the hall. She figured out the direction from which it had come, and ran there.

Ginny gasped as she saw the blue, red, and black goop splattered all over the Potion's classroom. In the midst of the disaster, Draco was sitting, sputtering and coughing as black smoke rolled from the cauldron in front of him.

"Oh, Merlin! I wish I had Colin's camera!" Ginny thought to herself, stifling her laughter. Draco had black smudges on his cheeks, from the smoke, and the goop was tangled into his hair. His perfect robes were also covered in the stuff, and the look he had on his face was too perfect. She finally gave up stifling the laughter and just let it burst out.

"Weasley? What are you doing here? It's late," he stated as he turned to look at her.

"I'm on patrol tonight. No invisibility cloak this time. What on earth are you doing here?" Ginny returned his question.

"Special project for Snape. Looks like I screwed up, though. I don't know what I did wrong."

"Well, something, that's for sure. Do you want help cleaning up?"

"I guess I could use it," Draco said as he stood up, taking off his soiled robes. "I'm going to wash my face in Snape's office lavatory. I'll be right back."

Ginny continued laughing as she watched him walk away. After she was able to calm herself down, she began to gather the ingredients.

She had the ingredients' closet open a few inches when Draco walked back into the room.

"Weasley! Stop!" Draco ran to the door and slammed it shut.

"Oh! I forgot!" Ginny cried when she realized why he had attacked the door.

"I realize that," Draco responded in a monotone voice. "Maybe you should go."

"Go? Why?" Ginny replied.

"Because if Snape finds you here, he'll have my ass. Seriously, he's probably going to be here any minute."

Ginny looked at him, contemplating his cold expression and suddenly unhappy demeanor.

"But what if I don't want to go?" Ginny asked, smirking a little.

"Weaslette, get lost. You shouldn't be here," Draco snapped at her.

Ginny stepped back at the animosity in his voice.

"I guess I should be going. My patrol will be over in a few minutes. I'll just talk to you some other time, then." She turned to leave, a little hurt and upset that he was so willing to get rid of her.

He watched her walk away, resisting the urge to begin hitting his head against the wall once again.

* * *

Draco walked back to his dormitory about an hour later, frustrated at the both the explosive mess with the potion and the way he had acted with Ginny.

Walking into the common room, Blaise turned from his seat in front of the fire and acknowledged him.

"Draco, old boy. What's new?"

"Get lost, Zabini. I'm not in the mood." Draco walked right past him.

Blaise turned to Theodore who was sitting diagonally from him. "Well. You know, I thought getting the two of them together would finally pacify his bad moods, but it doesn't seem like it worked." He shrugged as he watched Draco throw him a dirty look from the stairs, then disappear.

* * *

Reviews would be great! I 3 my readers! 


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Thank all of you for reading this, and I'm sorry for the wait. Lots going on, not so much time for writing. But I've gotten half of the next chapter written already. Wasn't planning on posting this one until I got all the rest finished, but I was hit by a sudden block, and thought you all would like at least one chapter, rather than none. I'm setting aside tomorrow and the rest of tonight to write. (No cable, no one home, no car, no work...)

Disclaimer: Not Mine. JK's. And other people's. But not mine. Don't even have a dime to my name. Oh, what's this? Finds shiny dime on floor. OH! I have a dime!

Enjoy!

Chapter 8:

Ginny was not the type to cry. She just didn't do it. She hated crying. Growing up with so many brothers had caused her to cry too many times when she was younger, and she learned quickly that it didn't solve anything. She abhorred crying.

Unfortunately for her, hating it didn't make it happen any less.

She walked into the common room sniffling. She was holding back as much as she could. She thought she was doing a good job of it, too.

"Ginny! What's wrong!" Ron jumped up from the couch to run to her side. Obviously she wasn't doing as good of a job as she thought.

Harry and Hermione followed him closely.

"Nothing, Ron; I'm just fine." Ginny laughed a little as if to prove it. At that moment, though, a tear trickled down her cheek.

"Ginny, you're crying. There's got to be something wrong," Hermione replied. "Don't you want to talk to us about it?"

Ginny mentally rolled her eyes. "No, Hermione, I'll be fine. I promise. I'm just a little overstressed."

"Oh, I understand that completely. Last year at this time, with everything going on, I was crying all the time," Hermione said, patting her on the shoulder. Ginny could see that she was about to pull her aside and rehash all the old stories of their fighting Voldemort and trying to get together with Ron.

"Uh, anyway, I really need to be finishing my homework. I'll be okay, and I'll see you all later!" Ginny said, rushing away as quickly as she could.

She loved Hermione, Harry, and her brother, but she was not about to pour her heart out to them about Draco Malfoy. It was not a possibility as long as she didn't want Draco dead.

--

That night was hard on both parties for sleep. They tossed and turned, but each, in turn, was thinking of the other. Ginnyâ€™s roommates were nearly about to kick her out of the room due to such incessant whimpering and tossing and turning. Draco just lay staring at the ceiling, eyes wide open all night.

The next day was Saturday. Which would've been great, once Ginny finally fell asleep, except Harry, Ron, and Hermione decided that she needed the day to unwind with them.

"Ginny. Ginny, wake up," Hermione said, shaking the redhead fiercely. It was impossible to wake her up, she thought to herself. "Ginny, we're going to Hogsmeade. And you're coming with us. We're not leaving you here all stressed." Hermione kept shaking her.

"G'way," Ginny mumbled, barely coming out of the unconscious void she was wallowing in. Hermione was about to take some drastic actions when an owl started pecking on Ginny's dorm window. She opened the window and allowed the owl in. It went straight for Ginny's head. And started pecking her shoulder.

She bolted upright, looking around. Ginny growled, before acknowledging it with a, "Ruddy owl. Waking me up. Stupid thing. If it couldn't fly, I'd throw it out the window." She took the letter, then said, "Mione? What are you doing in here?" with a drowsy yawn as the bird flew out the window.

"Well, I was trying, unsuccessfully, to wake you up. It would've saved me a lot of time and energy if I had known that poking your shoulder would work." Hermione stated as she had a seat on the edge of the bed.

"Isn't it Saturday?" Ginny asked. "Why on earth would you wake someone up on a Saturday?"

"Well, it's a Hogsmeade weekend. I was hoping that you'd spend the day with Harry, Ron, and I. We don't have enough time with you anymore, Ginny," Hermione said.

"That's not my fault, but give me half an hour to get ready and I'll be down." Ginny stared at the door as Hermione left, then attempted to stumble up. At least today, there were no strange and bizarre foreign items lying about on her floor or bed. She quickly showered and charmed her makeup and hair, then remembered the letter delivered earlier.

She found it on her bed, where she'd left it, and sat down to open it.

Ginevra;--it said--

Boggarts show our true fears. When someone sees their fears acted out, they spring into action to make those fears end, quickly. Do you remember what his fear was?

Truly Yours,  
a Sly Friend

Ginny turned the small piece of parchment over and over, trying to figure out who could have sent it, and what it could possibly have meant. Of course, it was talking about Draco and his fear of her and Harry together, but she didnâ€™t know anyone other than Colin and Blaise who had a clue what was going on. Well, she didn't know who had sent this letter, but she didn't care. It was a brilliant idea, and Ginny wasn't a Weasley for nothing.

Grabbing her jacket, she thought of the best way to convince Harry to play this little game.

Draco never fell asleep, so when Blaise began knocking on his door at eight a.m., he just sighed before answering him.

"Hogsmeade today, Draco. Ready to go? The carriages will be leaving shortly." Blaise walked inside and had a seat on Draco's bed.

"Shower, then breakfast. Be back," was Draco's tired reply. Blaise laughed as he walked out.

Blaise, himself, had been up since around five, and was already knee deep in trouble. If Draco found out what he'd done this morning, he'd be killed. Hopefully, the Weaselette would take her friend's advice. He didn't take her as the Gryffindor type--the kind to submissively allow all good to take control and leave out the scheming. He, personally, thought the scheming was the best part. All he had to do today, though, was sit back and enjoy the show. Of course, he'd pull Draco off before he killed Potty. He didn't want his only real friend to go to Azkaban.

Blaise snickered as he laid back on the bed to wait for Draco's return.

Ginny was pleased. She had gotten Harry away from Hermione and Ron at breakfast, just long enough to explain the situation. She hadn't told him everything, like about spending the day in Draco's room, or the date they were set up on, but she mentioned the fact that it would infuriate Malfoy to all extremes to see them together. Harry had enjoyed that part of the plan.

So, as they walked to the carriages, Harry held his arm around Ginny's waist. Ron's face was redder than his hair, while he babbled and attempted questioning, and Hermione looked incredibly confused, which was not a look she held too often. Ginny felt it was the best plan that had ever been handed to her on a silver platter.

The only problem was that Draco had not yet seen them. It was awkward, acting so nonchalant around all the questioning glares. She wanted it over as soon as possible, no matter how much fun it was.

Blaise had just barely caught sight of them. He had seen everyone else staring and heard the whispering insults to both parties as he was leaving the castle. Draco, though, was not the type to listen or watch for gossip. Blaise was about to point it out, but the two, followed by the know it all, the redhaired git, the clutz, and Creevey, settled themselves into a carriage and were off.

He was disappointed, but they had all day to see the Gryffindors. They loaded into a carriage with Vincent, Gregory, Milicent, and Pansy, and they, too, were off.

The two groups managed to just miss each other for the next two hours. In Zonko's, Blaise and Draco walked in less than a minute after Ginny and Harry had left. At the Shrieking Shack, Blaise and Draco were there just before Ginny and Harry put in an appearance.

Finally, Blaise began to think that if they stayed outside of the shops, there could be a possibility of seeing the two walking out of one. So he conjured two chairs and made an excuse about how incredibly tired he was. They sat there for about twenty minutes, with Draco's incessant complaining about the losers around them, before Potter and Ginny walked out of Quality Quidditch Supplies.

"Draco, is that a new broom in the window of Quality Quidditch?" Blaise asked, knowing Draco would not care in a few moments.

"What? There are no new brooms..." he trailed off as he saw Potter's hand clutching Ginny's possessively. "Blaise. Tell me I am not seeing what I am seeing."

Blaise took the moment in. "Hmm. I see Ginevra and Potty. Is that a problem? You didn't claim her. She's free to be with who she wants."

"No. She's not. She should not be with him. Ever," Draco snarled at his friend. Blaise backed away, guessing that he'd be thrown to the lions if Draco got ahold of him. He wasn't sure where the lions were, exactly, but he was sure Draco could find some.

"Listen to me. This is the best advice I can give you. If you want her, fight for her. Make sure everyone knows she is yours. Make the biggest scene you possibly can, because the bigger the scene, the more she knows she's yours," Blaise said with a stone solid face. Which was hard, considering this was just as much for his amusement as it was to get Draco and Ginny to admit that they were both in love with each other.

Draco growled, which scared Blaise even more. Then he started forward. Blaise caught Ginny's eye, and mouthed, "Back away, little Gryff," all with the trademark Slytherin smirk on his face.

Ginny caught the message, and realized at that moment who the author of her letter was. Oh, no, she thought. "I'm really going to owe you for this, Harry. I'm so sorry." She let go of him and backed away just as...

Review? Do you all like it? What could I do better? I don't find any type of critisism offensive, unless it's meant to be mean. And thanks to everyone who reviewed last time, also. After the story is finished, I'll go through and list everyone, but I just don't have the patience for that at the moment! Sorry!


	9. Chapter 9: The End

A/N: Wow. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. A few questions to take care of: The punctuation is messed up because I can't save the document in any of the file names approved on here. Or something. I've never actually taken the time to figure it out, just changed it once I uploaded it. Uh...Harry wanted to take a punch at Draco. Really badly. More explanation in the story! Anyway, I hope you all don't kill me, but I believe this is it...

Disclaimer: I disclaim. Not mine at all. And Snowcaps, I believe, belong to Nestle or Hershey one. Gosh, what I wouldn't give to own Nestle or Hershey!

Also, a warning: Minor cross dressing. Nothing big. Barely even mention of it. Another warning: this is so fluffy it made me sick.

Chapter 9:

Draco stopped, suddenly. He turned to stare intently in Ginny's eyes. "Go inside," he stated abrupty. "Now, Ginny."

"Draco, you can't just tell me to…"

"Ginny," he said, stopping her voice from continuing. "I want you inside. Now. Go!" he yelled. She squealed when he yelled, and scrambled inside the Quidditch shop. Draco was apparently delusional about the fact that there was a window and Ginny would be able to see out said window.

The entire square stopped as Draco Malfoy's fist came in contact with the nose of the great Harry Potter. A gasp was heard as blood spurted out of said nose. Ginny covered her face and shrieked from the shop as Hermione and Ron came running out of the Zonko's.

"Harry!" Ron yelled, running to his side. "What is this great git trying to do to you!"

"Dothing, Ron," Harry replied. "Dis is bedween be and himb." Ginny and Harry had discussed this. Ginny had promised to step in when Draco stormed up to them, but Harry had begged at least one punch at the guy. Ginny had refused, at first, but Harry said there was no possible way he would go through with the plan unless he was promised one punch. "For the sake of enemies," he said as they argued. He used the point that they would never be allowed to fight again if he and Ginny got together. And Ginny forced a magical signed affidavit to assure her that they would never fight after that day.

Blaise was making himself comfortable in his newly conjured recliner, with his feet propped up. He also conjured himself some popcorn and a box of Snowcaps so he could really enjoy the show.

"Balpoy, I don't know whad your probleb is," Harry yelled as the two boys circled each other, "bud I'b going do be plendy glad do fix id for you!" At that, he lunged forward and managed a direct hit to Draco's cheek.

Draco flew back a few steps as he grimaced from the pain. "I'll tell you what my problem is, Potter!" Draco yelled at him. "My problem is you! Trying to steal my girl away!"

Harry laughed. "Your girl? Your girl? Who are you calling your girl! Surely you're dod saying Giddy is your girl!" he yelled. Of course he knew that was what Malfoy was saying; Ginny had explained everything. Harry didn't want Ginny and that git to get together, but Draco wasn't the slimy little ferret he had been when his father had been in charge of his life.

"You know what I'm talking about, and I never want to see you near her again." Draco hissed at the other boy. He took another punch, straight to the gut.

Harry doubled over, clutching his stomach. When he got his breath back, he said, "Sucker punch. Dod fair."

"All's fair in love and war, Potter," was Draco's snarled reply. "Don't make me hurt you worse. Leave Ginny to me."

"Giddy will choose herself who she wands do be with. Whedder id's you or be, id will be all Giddy's choice. You have do condrol over her, do you understand be?" Harry said, holding his hand out to Draco. "And if you choose her, also, then you'be god yourself a gread girl. Hurd her, and you will die." Harry gave him a look that showed that he meant it.

Draco took his hand, noticing Ginny was no longer in the shop, but once again beside him and Blaise was off to the side in his lounge position, popcorn and all.

"Why do I get the feeling I've been duped?" Draco asked, putting his arm around Ginny and pulling her closer, protectively and possessively.

"Did I mendion she's smard, doo?" Harry asked. "Knew exacdly whad do do do ged you to admid you care about her. Approached be dis mording before we lefd on the carriages. We god some crazy looks all day."

"You did this?" Draco asked Ginny as the crowd dispersed. There was no longer any fighting, so they no longer found the scene to be nearly as interesting as it had been mere moments earlier. The whispering didn't stop, though.

"All's fair in love and war, darling. But I did have some help," she said as she motioned to Blaise. Draco glared menacingly.

"I knew he was up to something. Just didn't know what." Draco smirked. He then noticed the condition of his sparring partner. "I think Potter needs some magical doctoring from Madam Pomfrey."

Harry's nose had yet to stop bleeding, and he was covered in sticky, red blood.

"Nod like you haven'd godden a nice bruise dere, doo, Balpoy," Harry said, trying to clean his face off a little.

Draco started laughing, but grimaced once again as he realized the bruise in his cheek was not going to allow that. "You do have a nice right hook," he said. Ginny looked at him with one eyebrow raised. "What!" Draco asked.

"You just complimented Harry." Ginny stared at him. "Who are you, and where have you taken Draco? I'd like him back now."

"You're a bad influence on me," was Draco's reply. "I promise it will never happen again." He swooped down to seal the promise with a quick kiss.

"Bloody ferret!" Ron screamed. "Don't touch my sister!"

"Ron!" Harry said, holding Ron by the arm, with Hermione holding the other one. "It's okay. We've already fought. You don't have to."

"But I want a shot at him, too, Harry! Lemme go! Lemme go!" Ron tried to wiggle away as Draco stepped quietly behind Ginny.

After finally getting Ron calmed down, and Ginny forcing Blaise to abandon his seat in the front row, they all began the trek back to the castle with Ginny promising explanations in the carriage ride back.

Blaise was happy to find, the next day, that Ginny and Draco were nearly inseparable whenever possible, and that Ron and the rest of the Gryffs were not trying to murder his best friend. He was also happy to find out that Quidditch practice was much more at ease, and he was no longer put through torture as Draco's Potions partner. Also, the Slytherin house was able to gain back the over one hundred points that had been taken from them by the Head Boy, and Snape was very pleased with him. Other Slytherins on the Quidditch team and in the house were trying to offer him gifts in exchange for settling down the Slytherin Slave driver. Even Professor Snape had offered to "lose" his latest essay. Of course, Blaise didn't accept any of these gifts.. Well, not all of them. Hey, he was a Slytherin, after all. Things were much nicer on his side of the situation.

Ginny no longer awoke in nearly murderous moods, and her stress level flattened considerably. Hermione had taken her off of the waiting list for a room inside St. Mungo's. Hermione decided that love was a decent enough reason for insanity, and was at the time going a little insane herself. Ron finally asked her to marry him. Of course, she scolded him for not waiting until they were out of school, but she still accepted almost immediately.

Ginny, however, tried to retaliate to the matchmaking done on her, and tried to experiment with matchmaking herself, but failed terribly when Colin and Blaise found they were two different and had absolutely nothing in common.

Blaise did comment, after the attempt, that if he was ever in need of someone to snog senseless, for purely no strings attached reasons, Colin would be a perfect candidate. That brightened Colin considerably after they broke up, along with the shopping spree Draco allowed Ginny to take the poor brokenhearted boy on. Who doesn't cheer up by spending someone else's money when they're in the right mood?

Draco graduated soon after and continued on to becomea Ministry official. He and Ginny stayed in close contact, owling everyday, and she visited him on every holiday that she could. After Ginny graduated, they moved into a medium-sized apartment together. Ginny began pursuing her career as a Mediwitch. Nearly a year after the move, they announced their engagement and wedding date. And, no, there wasn't a little Malfoy on the way to cause this, as Bill and Charlie both asked when they were told about it. Ginny had nearly beat them over the head for insinuating such a thing, and Draco had turned an even more pale color than he already was before fainting in the middle of the Burrow.

Hermione was her bridesmaid, wearing a beautiful, simple, light green silk bridesmaid dress and elegant two inch heels; Blaise was the best man. He insisted on wearing a dress and heels identical to Hermione's. The entire Weasley family, including Percy and Penelope, were in attendance. Draco was saddened by the fact that his family was all in Azkaban or had passed on. The wedding, though, was a large media event, so they were not low on guests, even with that fact.

Arthur Wealsey gave Ginny away, as it should be, and Draco was beaming in his green dress robes as he took Arthur's place. Ginny's dress was a Victorian style, crème colored wedding dress, and she had quite literally fought for it. Her mother thought it ridiculous, with all the frills and extras. She said that she could make a much simpler and prettier dress, if Ginny would just let her. Ginny refused, and they argued for months on end before Molly finally gave in.

No matter how much the Weasley family disliked their little girl's choice in husband, they were all ecstatic that she was so happy. Molly stated upon the first meeting as the future in-laws that, "The way she's looking at him, Arthur. It's the way I still look at you. Heaven forbid, she's in love with that Malfoy boy."

That had caused Arthur to faint, but he had long since gotten used to the idea.

The wedding went by without a problem, except for Hermione being forced to hold Ron down when the Minister of Magic asked if anyone had any reason to stop the two from being married.

The most beautiful moment, in the eyes of the media, was the moment when the Minister said, "You may now kiss the bride. I present to the world, Mr. Draco and Ginevra Malfoy." The two shared a passionate and embracing kiss, showing the world that they were either completely in love or entirely the best wizarding actors in the entire world.

All the little girls awed, and wished they were Ginny, while the teenage boys all wished they were Draco.

That night, as they cuddled close in the bed of a high priced hotel in the middle of Australia, where they were spending the entire week of honeymoon before moving into Malfoy Manor, Draco sighed into Ginny's ear and whispered, "And to think, this all got started because of a boggart and an invisibility cloak."

She looked at him and replied, "Both such wonderful things, if just for this reason."

After looking off into the distance for a moment, she sat up and said, "Draco? I think this is the right time to tell you something."

"Yea, Gin?" he asked, lacking the perception to notice the seriousness of her voice as he laid his head back on the headboard of the bed.

"I think I'm pregnant, Draco. We're going to have a baby." She had tears in her eyes, tears of happiness, as he sat up enough to look at her.

"Baby? Us? Parents?" He looked completely in shock. As his heart and mind came pounding back down to him, he smiled. "Baby?" he repeated.

"Yes, Draco, a little baby, all our own. You're going to be a father," she said, trying to keep her smile from stretching across her entire face. He sat there for another moment before scooping her up in a nearly bone crushing hug.

His family was complete, with a beautiful wife, and a baby on the way. He couldn't figure there was anything that would make life even more perfect.

TheFluff-FilledEnd.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed, read, or finished it off with me! I hope I have another one-shot plot bunny that ends up like a huge story, resembling the way this one did. I'll try to formulate a list of everyone who reviewed in the next week or so and post it along with thanks and comments. Also, I know that the plot was lacking quite a bit at the end. I need to work on plot...I'm much better with the humor and general parts of the story. I usually work with my beta reader and we create wonderful stories because she's better with the serious parts and the details. We keep each other evened out. Our stories are so excellent and usually hilarious when we work together. Tell me if you all would like to read them!


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